Bolero Snort Brewery is one of North Jersey’s latest entrants to the craft beer world. After a year and a half of recipe development, commercial production of their flagship beers: Blackhorn and Ragin’ Bull began in January 2013. They strive to create hand-crafted ales and lagers that are influenced by both traditional and emerging styles with their own bold spin. As the folks at Bolero love to say, “No BS…Just Ragin’ Good Beer!”

One of their limited releases is a Javahorn, a black lager brewed with espresso and vanilla beans.

The beer pours a rich chocolate brown color with slight garnet edges when viewed in the light. The one finger soapy tan head shows moderate retention and leaves a light lacing atop the beer once it has had time to dissipate.

On the nose you’ll find aromas of bready malts, along with rich notes of roasted coffee. The coffee notes are lifted and accented by notes of baker’s chocolate. Creamy vanilla aromas tantalize the senses and add a sweetness to the bouquet.

On the palate the flavor profile of the black lager really shine through. Hop notes of pine and citrus are balanced with notes of rich bready roasted malts. The hop bitterness that hits right off the bat transitions to a bitter espresso note on the finish. Notes of vanilla appear on the mid-palate and continue to the finish where the espresso notes dominate and linger.

A very interesting beer from Bolero Snort. Using the black lager as a base instead of a traditional stout or porter (that most breweries would use to add espresso and vanilla) created a unique and complex beer that is anything but ordinary. Try pairing this one with Havarti, grilled smoked sausages with potatoes and onions or vanilla bean custard with pomegranate seeds. 

Beer Buyer Overall Rating: 3.5 Out Of 5 Pints